DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters of the Inuyasha series nor do I own the original storyline.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thanks for waiting everybody! I sure hope it was worth the time ^-^. Please
enjoy reading! Oh right, maybe you've already noticed it yourself...this story
is going to end pretty soon, how soon? Well...I'll tell you at the end of this
chapter okay?
Italic: thoughts or emphasized words
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
~*~*~*~*~: time gap or change of perspective
*...* : noises
-by Kittymui-
Remembrance
Previously:
It was a young woman. She had long dark hair tied into a low ponytail and dark
gray eyes. She was wearing a formal priestess outfit of white and red and in
her hands she was holding a basket filled with bandages and herbs. "I...Inuyasha...??"
she gasped as disbelief filled her depthless eyes.
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes but widened them as he recognized this woman.
'K-Kikyou...?!"
~*~*~ that evening ~*~*~
"How is she?" Inuyasha asked worriedly when he saw Kikyou come out
of the bedroom.
"Don't worry, I've gotten rid of most of the poison, the rest is up to her own strength," she reassured him. Just when she opened her mouth to say something again, Inuyasha cut her off.
"Can I see her?"
She nodded and watched how the hanyou walked pass her into the bedroom and closed the door behind him.
~*~
He slowly walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He quietly studied
her sleeping face.
"I told you that you're always getting yourself into trouble. You just had to deny it and argue with me huh?" he whispered to her. "I'm the one who should protect you and get you out of trouble...and not the other way around silly girl. Now look what you've gotten yourself in to."
He reached out his hand and stroked her cheek. Mindlessly he suddenly whispered out a name he never thought he would to the sleeping girl.
"Kagome..."
His eyes widened and he quickly retracted his hand as if he had burned his fingers. However, his eyes never left Maya's face. What am I doing? he asked himself, shocked by his own actions. I...I can't...I can't fall in love with this girl...she's...not her...not Kagome... he forced himself to remember these words.
His thoughts were cut off when a soft moan caught his ears. He realized it was coming from the girl next to him. "Maya?" he called out her name.
"C...cold..." the girl murmured barely distinguishable.
From her expression and calm heartbeat, Inuyasha knew that she was talking in her sleep. Without second thought, he loosened the red sash around his waist and took off his red haori.
After he laid his shirt over the white covers as an extra layer, he quietly left the bedroom again.
-- back in Shiho --
"Something's not right..." Sango suddenly spoke.
"Not at all, I think it's very right this way," Miroku smiled as he tightened his embrace and looked down at the girl in his arms.
They were sitting at the base of a tree in the garden of Takada's mansion.
"No...I'm talking about Inuyasha and Kagome," she responded.
Miroku scowled. Not again?! Curse you Inuyasha! Do you know how much effort and patience it took me to draw her attention to me instead of you and your fiancée for the past couple of months?!! he complained inwardly. "What is it with them?" he asked as gentle as possible while suppressing his impatience.
"You told me that Inuyasha had a childhood friend and that he promised to marry her when they meet again, right?"
He nodded.
"Did I ever tell you that Kagome's suffering a partial memory loss because she's lost her father when they were attacked by bandits?"
"Well yeah, but where are you exactly going with your reasoning?" he asked.
"Did Inuyasha tell you more about his childhood friend?" she asked.
Miroku shook his head.
Sango thought for a moment before continuing. "Well, have I ever mentioned that Kagome cried out Inuyasha's name when we told her that the scar on her face was gone ten years ago?"
"Euh, I'm not sure I'm following you." he responded confused.
Sango sighed. "Okay. What if I told you that the reason why Kagome had run away was because she's convinced that someone of her childhood had promised to marry her and is searching for her? She ran away because she wanted to find her promise!"
Miroku thought for a moment, but then he suddenly realized what the maid was trying to make clear and quickly turned to her again. "Are you saying...?"
"Exactly!" she smiled.
"So..." he started, not knowing how to conclude this.
"Kagome is Inuyasha's childhood lover whom he promised to marry after they meet again and Inuyasha is the one Kagome is actually waiting for, all these years," Sango helped him.
Miroku widened his eyes. "Man! I can't believe they were actually able to meet again after so long..." he said stupefied.
"Me neither," she agreed.
"Hey! Didn't you just say Kagome was suffering a partial memory loss?" Miroku suddenly asked.
Sango nodded. "If she knew she was being betrothed to the one she was actually waiting for, she wouldn't have ran away back then."
"Wait a minute. Inuyasha isn't suffering memory loss, so if he didn't recognize her by her looks, he should have recognized the name of his childhood lover," he reasoned.
The maid sweatdropped. "Euhm...I don't recall myself or anybody else ever to have told him that our lady's name is Kagome...not even when he left to search for her..."
Miroku almost dropped his jaw of surprise. "Huh?? Then why the hell did he set off to search for her if he doesn't even know the name of his fiancée?? Not to mention the fact that he doesn't even know how she looks like!"
"Hmm you do have a point there...I guess it's something we'll have to ask him ourselves when he returns from his journey..." Sango responded. "But I don't think he would be able to find her even if he knew her name was Kagome."
"Why is that?"
"Because milady never uses her real name in public, especially when she knows that Takada-sama will be sending guards to look for her," she explained.
"Geez...what a mess..." Miroku sighed with a hand on his forehead.
"You can say that again," the maid agreed sadly. "Unless Kagome remembers Inuyasha, they'll never be able to find out each other's identities."
Miroku placed his chin on top of Sango's head. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be able to reunite somehow."
-- back to our main character ^-^ --
Without realizing it, Inuyasha had arrived at the garden in front of the shrine.
It was a calm landscape. The water in the pond reflected the light of the pale moon and the trees were rustling in harmony, guided by the rhythm of the gentle breezes coming from the North.
What the hell am I doing...? he asked himself again.
"Kagome..." he whispered out her name as he gazed up to the clear and starry sky. The image of the childhood Kagome appeared in his mind.
He widened his eyes as he suddenly realized something. Inuyasha concentrated very hard on the image of his childhood lover and his memories with her, but something changed. But it wasn't the image or the memories that have changed.
He came to the realization that he was the one who had actually changed. It was his feelings that have changed.
A surge of guilt welled up in his heart as he realized he wasn't feeling the same for the girl anymore like he did twelve years ago.
Little did he know that a pair of dark-gray eyes was watching him from afar.
~*~
Kagome slowly opened her eyes and blinked. W-where am I...? she thought
hazily as she didn't recognize the ceiling, which was slightly illuminated by
the candle that stood on a small nightstand next to the bed.
She frowned when a stinging feeling came from her upper left arm. That's right...I was bitten by the white snake back then... she remembered as she decided not to put too much pressure on her injured limb. She pulled her right arm from under the covers and placed it on her forehead. That was a strange dream... she thought to herself as she tried to replay the dream in her mind once again.
[DREAM SEQUENCE]
Kagome was running in the dark, dressed in her red wedding garments. Instead
of being tied into a decorated knot, her raven-black hair billowed loosely in
the wind behind her with every step she took.
[AN: The clothes she wore on the day of the Battle for the bride: a burgundy
yukata made of silk, with a graceful phoenix, which was made of golden threads
and colorful crystal beads, embroidered on it. Its head could be seen near her
shoulder, with its wings on each side of her waist and its claws and its colorful
tail curled near her legs.]
"Where is it...? Where are you...??" she asked, broken in heavy pants. "P-please...don't leave me...don't forget me...d-don't forget it..." (e.g. the promise)
Suddenly she tripped over something invisible and landed spread-out on her stomach on the black floor.
"D-don't leave me...please..." she pleaded as tears welled up in her eyes; not knowing whether it was because she couldn't find what she was looking for or because of the impact with the floor. She buried her head in her arms and started to cry.
Then, a cold breeze blew pass her form on her floor, drawing her attention.
Kagome slowly lifted her head up from her arms and shivered. "C-cold..." she murmured as she looked around her with her teary vision. She widened her eyes when she suddenly found herself in the middle of the forest near a creek. ...Eh?
She had the feeling that she'd been here before but a second cold breeze blew all her clear thoughts away and caused her to shiver. Just when she was about to black out of the cold, a warm feeling surrounded her back and suddenly she wasn't cold anymore.
When she looked over her shoulder, she saw a red garment covering her upper body. T-this is... She was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts when the sound of footsteps approached her from the front.
Kagome quickly shifted her gaze to in front of her, only to see a pair of bare feet and the ends of apparently a red hakama. Her eyes slowly traveled upwards from the red hakama to a white shirt and widened when they met a pair of golden orbs looking down at her.
I...Inuyasha...? she thought surprised, recognizing the young silver-haired hanyou. Why...? What is he doing here?
"Silly girl...what are you doing on the floor?" he smiled at her as he knelt down and offered her his clawed hand. "Here...let me help you up."
Still surprised, Kagome hesitated before taking his hand and slowly got to her feet with his support. Suddenly a stinging pain shot through her body and caused her to wince and lean on Inuyasha for support. But when she searched the origin of the pain and for an injury, she found nothing at all.
"You're hurt. Let me carry you," the hanyou offered with a gentle voice.
Kagome turned to him and smiled. "N-no, I-I'm fine...real__"
Before she could finish, the hanyou already scooped her up bridal style and started walking into a direction alongside the creek, leaving his red garment behind on the grass.
"This is where we first met...remember...?" he asked as he stopped before a thick old tree.
Kagome looked around. The creek...the thick old tree... she thought as her gaze traveled upwards to a certain thick branch. ...the branch... And then she widened her eyes. This...this is indeed the place...b-but how...? she thought confused as she remembered that it was the place where she met the person from her childhood a long time ago and looked up at Inuyasha. "H-how did you__?"
"Silly Kagome...this is the place where I made my promise to you, remember?" he smiled down at her.
Kagome widened her eyes. "P-promise?? B-but you...h-how...??"
The hanyou lowered his head and leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes locked on hers. "We were forced to separate back then...so I made a promise to you that I would search for you until I've found you... and when I do..." he whispered softly. "...I would take you as my mate..."
"B-but...but__" Kagome stammered, confused about the fact that it was indeed the promise of her memory. But she was cut off again when the hanyou continued.
"Do you remember when I told you that I would fall in love with you eventually?" he asked as he slowly set her on her feet and cupped her cheek with one clawed hand while the other was resting on her waist in case she lost her balance of her 'injury'.
Kagome gasped inaudibly. I've seen this...I know this conversation... she thought to herself and slightly nodded in reply before she knew it.
The hanyou smiled warmly. "Well you know...I think I just did..." he whispered before he leaned closer and sealed her lips with his.
This...I've felt it before...I know this feeling... Kagome thought wide-eyed. She slowly closed her eyes and melted into the hanyou's arms as she kissed him back. It's this sweet feeling...I'll never forget...
[END DREAM SEQUENCE]
Why did I dream about Inuyasha...? Why did it turn out to be him...?
she thought confused. It couldn't be him...it's just a dream...right...?
Slowly, she pushed her self up into a sitting position, causing part of the covers that were covering her chest to fall on her lap. Then, she suddenly noticed the contrast of dark red and white in the peripheral area of her eyes and dropped her gaze. ...Eh? T-this is...Inuyasha's... she thought surprised as she found out that the dark red color wasn't part of the covers.
As she picked up the dark red garment, a small glistening object fell out of one of the sleeves onto her lap.
Kagome carefully picked it up and examined it in the candlelight. This is...
She knew it was an identity plate, for her father and any other members of a rich family also carried one, but what she found most surprising was the crest that was carved in it. I've seen it before...but where...? she thought.
Then she suddenly remembered something and quickly started to search the sleeves of her white haori. As soon as she found what she was looking for, she pulled it out and put it next to the identity plate that she was holding in her other hand.
She widened her eyes and gasped. "O-onaji...desu..." she whispered as her eyes reciprocated between the blue crest in the porcelain and the carving in the gold.
And then, as a tidal wave, memories that were kept in a small locked corner
started to gush out and fill her mind.
[FLASHBACK]
"Can you tell me your name?"
"It's Inuyasha."
"Well then, Inuyasha. Can you please stay here and wait until I come back?"
~*~
"Euhm...do you like the flower I gave you?"
"I don't hate it."
"Great!! I knew you would like it!!!"
~*~
"This is__"
"You humans heal too slow. Your hands will heal faster with this and it won't leave any scars."
"Thank you."
~*~
"It's NOT a scratch...it's a horrible wound...it's ugly...a-and I'm
ugly..."
"Hey...you're not ugly Kagome. Look at me Kagome."
"You are NOT ugly...okay?"
"That's what you think...you haven't even seen it yet...this...this horrible wound...W-when I look in the mirror, all I see is that...ugly...wound...now everybody would say 'what an ugly girl' and then...I'll be all alone...until the day I die...n-nobody would want to have a scarfaced girl...like me..."
"I will..."
~*~
"I will find you...kanarazu..."
"I will wait for you...zutto..."
~*~*~*~
"Maya! Take Kagome and go!! Run for your lives while I keep them busy!!
Go!!!"
"No!! Father!! I won't leave you!!"
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Milady! Watch out!!"
"Father!!! Maya!!! NOOOO!!!"
[END FLASHBACK]
The soft tapping sound of water colliding with silk slowly pulled her back into
reality again.
Kagome touched her wet cheeks and realized that she had started to cry uncontrollably the moment she believed that her mind had shown her nothing but the truth. F-father...M-Maya...I-I'm so sorry...
She shifted her gaze back to the two objects in her hands and a grimace appeared on her features. I've been searching...and waiting all this time...for someone who was already by my side... she sighed in herself. Silly...silly Kagome...
Without further thinking, she wiped away her tears and climbed out of the bed.
She exited the bedroom and ran desperately through the silent halls of the building on her bare feet with Inuyasha's haori clutched against her chest; her mind only set on one goal: to see the one person she had been longing to see for the past twelve years. Inuyasha...
Kagome abruptly stopped running when she caught a glimpse of silver out of the
window of the hallway.
Her eyes narrowed to focus on the silver near the pond in the garden below and widened. Inuyasha!!
Just when she was about to continue her way downstairs to meet up with her long lost lover, a shadow moved in the peripheral area of her eyes, drawing her attention. When she looked more closely in silence, she realized it was a young priestess with long dark hair.
She watched how the priestess slowly made her way to the hanyou's side and narrowed her eyes. Who is she...? she thought alerted.
She widened her eyes when she saw the name that formed on Inuyasha's lips after he turned to look at the priestess.
"Kikyou..."
Kikyou...?! Kagome thought shocked as she recalled it was the girl who left
Inuyasha without a word long before she (Kagome) met him. B-but that's__
Before she could finish what she was thinking, a much more shocking scene unfolded before her very own eyes.
The woman called Kikyou had crashed onto the hanyou's chest and was hugging him tight with her arms around his waist.
But what shocked Kagome even more was the fact that Inuyasha was hugging the priestess back with his arms slowly placed around her waist.
All sorts of emotions played in her mind at that moment: anger, doubt, fear,
betrayal, pain and confusion.
Inuyasha...h-he wouldn't... she told herself as she created some distance between the window and herself. I've got to ask him myself!! she decided and quickly made her way downstairs.
~*~
Once outside, Kagome stood still as she realized that Inuyasha was now standing
in front of the pond alone. Where did the priestess go...? she thought
surprised as she slowly and quietly hid herself behind a tree behind the hanyou.
She froze when she heard a sigh coming from him and peeked at him from behind the thick trunk.
The silver-haired dogdemon was looking up at the starry sky.
Kagome held her breath as her name came out shortly after the sigh.
"Kagome..."
He knows I'm here? she wondered but denied that possibility since she never told him that she was actually Kagome.
"It's been twelve long years already...and I'm still not able to find out where you are..." he continued. "I'm sorry..."
Kagome was glad to know that he still remembered her, yet somehow she felt deep down inside her heart that the hanyou wasn't apologizing just because of that reason.
"We met when we were little and from that moment on...you've started to change me...I was able to open up myself and let go of unhappy memories because of you." The hanyou took a long pause before continuing. "I...I want to you know that my feelings for you back then were more true than all truths of the world...I loved you deeply Kagome."
She smiled as she heard this but not long after that she furrowed her eyebrows. D-did...did he just say...'loved'...???
"I haven't forgotten my promise to you and I'll never will. I could fulfill the promise just like I said I would...I could act as if we had never parted...as if those twelve years were just a long dream...But I don't want to lie to you Kagome...I don't want to be untrue to my own feelings...it would be unfair...unfair to the both of us..."
Kagome's heartbeats made her chest tremble with fear as she leaned against the tree-trunk for support. N-no... she pleaded disbelievingly in her mind.
"Kagome...I..." the hanyou hesitated.
"I have fallen in love...with someone else...I'm sorry..."
Kagome widened her eyes when she heard the words she had hoped never to come
from his mouth. The image of Inuyasha and the woman named Kikyou hugging each
other suddenly appeared in her mind. No... she gasped inwardly as tears
stung her eyes.
She knew Inuyasha was saying something else after that but it was as though someone had covered her ears, for she couldn't hear one single distinguishable word from what he was saying anymore.
Unable to recover from the shock she was in, her legs suddenly became numb and Kagome lost consciousness.
Before she hit the earth though, two strong arms caught her limp form and lifted her up bridal style.
Oops, sorry...I know it's very inappropriate for me to put another cliffhanger here, but after this I'll be turning to Inuyasha's point of view, so I thought it would be a nice spot to put a line. I hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter ^-^ although the plot seems to be making a huge U-turn hehehe. Please look forward to the next and FINAL chapter!!
Next (final) chapter: Clueless (will be posted on 20 April!!)
~*~
No teasers because next chapter is the final one ^-^!
~*~
Vocabulary:
hanyou: half-demon
onaji desu: it's the same
~*~
REPLIES ON REVIEWS:
inuphoria, Cheerful Oblivious, Guardian-of-the-night, nekomoongirl: Thanks for reviewing!! I'm glad you like it!
LiLsTuBbOrNgRl: Yeah, what would an Inuyasha story be without Kikyou in it ^-^! Thanks!
Dragon Man 180: Thanks! Yeah, from a third (or fourth) person's perspective, things are always clearer ^-^. Looks like the readers aren't the only ones having trouble with suspense hehehe.
power2thepink: Well I guess you already know the answer. Since the next chapter is going to be the last one, I won't be bringing Shippou up anymore. Maybe in my next story ^-^.
brazil: Hahaha, well, I mentioned Kikyou at the beginning of the whole story and I thought I should bring her back somehow and make clear about the whole 'leaving-without-a-word-mystery'. Don't worry about the pairing, because if I chose a particular pairing for a story, then that pairing will stand until the last chapter ^-^.
ioka: A little bit late, but still, I wish you a happy birthday! Thanks for reading and reviewing my story!
Thief of Baghdad: Thanks for reading and reviewing ^-^ I'm glad you like it. As for your curiosity, I've mentioned above that the next chapter will be the final one, but honestly I had planned to make this story about 20-25 chapters long. Don't worry about the suspense thing, I tend not to let readers wait too long for the next update. Usually I update once a week but since I had a test yesterday I had to postpone writing this chapter (and the next one).
Clearwater-Faerie: Well, honestly I don't really like the original traits and character of Inuyasha, he's just tooooo stubborn and filled with pride, which is definitely not appropriate for my story and twists here ^-^. Thanks for reviewing!
Ks-Starshine: Hehehehe, sorry about that ^-^. I hope you still liked this chapter despite the huge twist. Thanks for reviewing!!
x shadow: Thanks for telling me! And thanks for liking the battle scenes I've written ^-^!
Samieko: Hahaha well euhm...I guess what happened in this chapter is the worst that can happen in this story, don't you agree? But don't worry, I, the high and mighty author of this story, will not disappoint you ^-^!
osuwariIYK: Wait for the next (and final) chapter and your questions will be answered ^-^. I'm glad you liked the battle scene.
lightmiko: Almost right, it wasn't Inuyasha though. But don't worry, it won't turn out too bad in the next chapter.
Kyia: Thanks for telling me, I'll be sure not to make the same mistake again ^-^! Good luck with your stories!
siyuri: She sure is messing things up in this chapter hahaha. Poor Inuyasha huh? Don't worry, things are going to be solved in the next chapter ^-^.
myinuyasha04: You're definitely not the only one telling me that hahaha, and I completely understand why since she really messed things up in this chapter ^-^. But trust me, she's really not that evil, which is going to be explained in the next chapter.
FieryDemonFox: Thank you very much! I'm glad to know that the vocabularies are appreciated ^-^.
babe_galanime: I will, don't worry ^-^.
Danielle: Hahaha, I try to update as soon as possible, but things aren't proceeding as planned with the test held yesterday. But don't worry, I've promised to update on 20 april, so I'll definitely update on that day.
DarkMiko05: Thanks for telling me. The next chapter is going to be the last one, and the date on which I will post it is also given above, I hope you will also review the last one to let me know what you think of the whole story ^-^.
Inukamisashi: I know it's a killing suspense this time, but please hold on and wait until the 20 April hehehe ^-^.
Kirei Baka Kasumi: Hehehe sorry about the cliffhangers, can't really help myself. I'm glad to know you like this story.
Tinkerbell-69-4ever: Wow! Thanks for the chocolate *munch* they're really delicious ^o^. Sorry for the late update, the next one will definitely be posted on the appointed date, be patient ^-^!
ShadowStar666: Don't worry, the next chapter is going to be the last
one. I myself don't really like "stretched-out" stories so I'll be
quick and to-the-point with this one. (partly because I can't wait to begin
my next story, which will be introduced in the next and last chapter).
About Inuyasha not being able to recognize Kagome; you're right about the scar-reason.
Inuyasha recognized the priestess being Kikyou because her looks didn't change
much and most importantly because she recognized Inuyasha and called him by
his name.
Inuyasha did think Kagome was Kagome at first when he first saw her at the Archery
Contest, but since she didn't recognize him and didn't have the scar, he doubted
that possibility. And most importantly, Kagome said that she was Maya and not
Kagome, which strengthened Inuyasha's doubts about she being his childhood lover.
I hope this explanation clears up a bit of the confusion ^-^.
cheryz816: Thanks for telling me about the song, I've listened to it and I think the song is indeed very fitting to this story ^-^. Plus it's a very nice song, thanks again!
KenshinOtaku: Nope, she's just a normal girl. And in this story, I didn't mention Kagome and Kikyou looking alike because that would only create more confusion with the identities. I wouldn't want readers to be more confused ^-^. In this story of mine, they don't look alike at all. Honestly I don't think they look alike in the series at all hehehe, but that's just my opinion.
AlleyWings: Well not really stubborn; they both just want to keep their promises that's all ^-^.
~*~
Lots of greets
~Kittymui~
Posted: 15 April 2004
Last Edited: 15 April 2004
Spelling check: YES